Parking elevator

ABSTRACT

A parking elevator comprising two continuous chains formed by interconnected links and adapted to hoist or lower cages in which vehicles are parked. Two drive wheels of polygonal configuration are adapted to drive the chains synchronously, these two drive wheels being positioned at the bottom part of the elevator. The chain links are interconnected by shafts in which the cages are suspended, these shafts also supporting guide rolls running in vertical guides supported on the elevator stand. The trailing end of each link presents a pressure surface, and follower means are provided at each apex of the two polygonal drive wheels for engagement in the pivot joint between two successive links of the chains and for pressing against these pressure surfaces.

Nov. 6, 1973 ,341,231 12/1962 France......................... 214/161 BB 74,620 2/1949 Norway........................ 214/l6.l BB

[ PARKING ELEVATOR [75] Inventor: Anders Erik Sundin, Forsa, Sweden [73] Assignee: A E Sundin Produkter AB, Delsbo, Primary ExaminerGerald M. Forlenza Sweden Assistant Examiner-John Mannix Attorneyl(ane, Dalsimer, Kane, Sullivan & Kurucz [22] Filed: Dec. 24, 1970 57 ABSTRACT A parking elevator comprising two continuous chains Appl. No.: 101,247

30 Foreign Application p i Data formed by interconnected links and adapted to hoist or Jan 5 1970 lower cages in which vehicles are parked. Two drive wheels of polygonal configuration are adapted to drive the chains synchronously, these two drive wheels being positioned at the bottom part of the elevator. The chain links are interconnected by shafts in which the cages are suspended, these shafts also supporting guide rolls 86 5M% M 1 wm 1 B B m2 1 6 m 1 l" 4 "m l u 2 "m .Tn c .r a Hm& t J l WM k UMF N 00 555 running in vertical guides supported on the elevator stand. The trailing end of each link presents a pressure [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS surface, and follower means are provided at each apex of the two polygonal drive wheels for engagement in 2,696,921 Desjal'dins N 33 the pivot joint between two successive links of the chains and for pressing against these pressure surfaces.

1,346,349 11/1963 France......................... 214/161 BB 5 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATPHEDHGY EIQTS SHEET ESP 6 INVENTOR BY m ami fZ/(JU/VD/N PAHNIEDHDY ems 3.770.146

SHEET u [1F 6 Aime/vi 5 PARKING ELEVATOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to parking elevators of the kind comprising two continuous chains formed by interconnected links having guide rollers running in vertical guide means on a stand. The chains are interconnected by means of shafts and in the chains are suspended cages intended to support vehicles parked therein. The two chains are driven synchronously by means of a mechanism, preferably hydraulically operated, incorporating two wheels of polygonal configuration which are driven in common. When the chains of parking elevators of this prior art construction, during running, have all their links under tension and the links are long, the guide rollers of the chains in the guide means must, over a short distance take up comparatively large compression stresses at the point where the links leave their polygonal wheel, hitherto being an ordinary sprocket wheel, and move on to the generally vertical portions of the guide means. In some parking elevators of this kind the driving sprocket wheel is positioned at the bottom. The links are then exposed to vertical compression stresses and to avoid that the chain comes off its sprocket wheel, the chain guide rollers are guided in a curved guide portion below the sprocket wheel. The particular angle of attack of the teeth of the wheels at the pivot joint between the individual links result in the generation of a heavy compressive load that must be taken by the guide roller along the entire curved portion of the guide.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The purpose of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks and to provide a parking elevator having its driving wheels positioned at the bottom part thereof without it being necessary for the guide rollers to take heavier compression stresses than those occuring in an elevator driven from above. The characteristic feature of the invention is the provision of cylindrical follower means which are arranged at the apices of the two polygonal drive wheels which are driven in common, these follower means being arranged to engage in the pivot joint between successive links and to press against a pressure surface arranged at each such pivot joint at the trailing end of each link. The invention also offers the advantage of lower manufacturing costs and easier maintenance and service of the elevator.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Further characteristics of the invention will become apparent upon reading of the following description with reference to the accompanying, partly diagrammatical drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an end view of a parking elevator in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates, on an enlarged scale, the lower portion of the parking elevator of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the lower portion of the parking elevator;

FIG. 4 is a horizontal section through the elevator stand along line IV-IV in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 shows on an enlarged scale a side view of a part of one link chain;

FIG. 6 is an end view of this link chain part, and

FIG. 7 shows diagrammatically the engagement between the driving rollers of the driving mechanism and the chain links at the link pivot points.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The parking elevator stand 1 comprises, as illustrated on the drawings, four bottom posts 2 which are interconnected by means of cross bars 3 and 4. Cross bars 4 are interconnected by means of a bar 5 which thus forms the connection bar of a trestle construction. The two cross bars 4, one at each end of the stand trestle, are each one provided with a heavy, downwardly directed bracket 6 supporting bearings 7 in which a longitudinal shaft 8 is mounted. At the ends of said shaft triangular drive wheels 9 are mounted. On the inner face of these wheels a pressing roller 11 is mounted at each apex 10 of the triangle to cooperate with the pivot joints 12 between the links of the two continuous chains 13 of the elevator. On the external face each drive wheel 9 presents a trunnion 14 forming the journal bearing for the piston rod ends 15, l6, 17 of three hydraulically operated cylinders 18, 19, 20, the said cylinders being pivotally journalled so as to extend radially in relation to the drive wheel centre at an angular distance from each other of The cylinders l8, 19, 20 which are double-acting, have their outer ends pivotally mounted on horizontal pins 21 attached on the stand. The oil pressure to the cylinders 18, 19, 20 is controlled via a valve mechanism by means of which the drive wheels 9 may be driven in the desired direction of rotation and with a high degree of efficiency.

On the above trestle formed by details 2, 3, 4, 5 are erected the sections of an elevator tower 22 having guides 23 for guide rollers 24, the said rollers being mounted so as to be able to turn on shafts 25 on which is suspended an elevator cage 26 adapted to support a vehicle (not shown) parked therein. Shafts 25 also form the pivot joint between successively arranged chain links 27. These links consist of iron bars having box-like sectional shape with the link ends shaped as forks. The legs 28 of each fork end of any link overlap or engage between the corresponding fork legs 29 of the subsequent link. Each shaft 25 extends through its associated fork legs 28, 29 in a way permitting movements. Furthermore, the links 27 present at their ends pressure surfaces 30, 31 between which surfaces the pressing roller 11, arranged at the respective apex 10 of the drive wheels 9, is adapted to engage.

As appears from FIG. 7, the distance a between pressing rollers 11 is less than the distance b between link shafts 25, and the distance c between the pressure surfaces 30, 31 is less than the distance a between the pressing rollers 11 minus the diameter d of a pressing roller.

In cross section, the vertical post 32 (FIG. 4) of the stand tower 22 is substantially U-shaped. To the legs of the U there is welded a U-rail 33 having smaller crosssectional dimensions. This U-rail is provided with semicircular flanges 34 serving as guides for the guide rollers 24 on the link shafts 25. The guides 23 converge slightly in a direction towards each other at their lower portions 35 whereas their end portions 36 are arcuate and extend away from each other with the radius of the are being essentially equal to the length of the radius from the centre of the drive wheel 9 to the pressing rollers ll.

As appears from the drawings, the links 27 are constantly exposed to compression loads from above during the operation of the parking elevator and the pressing rollers 11 cannot disengage from the pressure surface 30 of the links until angle V (FIG. 7) between the links embracing the roller 11 in question approaches 180. Owing to the fact that the guides 23 curve somewhat inwards at their portions 35, the opening facing the centre of the drive wheels 9 between the pressure surfaces 3%, 31 of two successive links 27 will rapidly increase and withdrawal of the pressing roller 11 may be effected at a point which is favourable from the point of view of power transmission. This means that the chain has advanced sufficiently far when the following pressing roller 11 starts to take over the power transmission that the chain link 27 which is just being driven upwards by the pressing rollers 11 in question of the drive wheel 9 deviates only insignificantly, with regard to its longitudinal axis, form the vertical line. The compression force excerted on the guide 13 by the guide roller 24 positioned at a higher level consequently is comparatively small. The consequences of this fact as concerns the dimensions of the parking elevator should be evident.

it appears from FIG. that the links 27 are formed at their inner ends of the pressure surfaces 30, 31 with a groove 37 in which engages a flange 38 extending peripherally on the pressing rollers 7 11 (see FIG. 3). Through this guide flange 38 engaging in grooves 37 the pressing rollers 11 are prevented from axial displacement relatively the pressure surface 30.

The embodiment as shown and described is to be regarded as an example only and the various details of the parking elevator may be constructively altered in various ways within the scope of the appended claims. Instead of triangular drive wheels 9 other polygonal shapes may be used. The wheels 9 may be driven by other means than hydraulically operated motors.

I claim 1. An improved parking elevator including in combination a stand, vertical guides mounted on said stand, guide rollers running in said vertical guides, links being pivotally interconnected to form two continuous chains, said guide rollers provided on said links, shafts interconnecting said links, cages for the support of vehicles parked therein, said cages being suspended from said shafts, a hydraulically operated device being provided to drive said two chains synchronously, said device comprising two drive wheels of polygonal configuration driven in common, follower means in the shape of pressing rollers being rotatably mounted at the apices of said polygonal drive wheels, and pressure surfaces being arranged at the link pivot joints at the trailing ends of the links, said pressing rollers being adapted to engage in the pivot joint between successive links of the chain and to press against said pressure surfaces.

2. An improved parking elevator in accordance with claim 1, wherein the distance between said pressing rollers on the drive wheels is less than the distance between the link pivot points and the distance between the pressure surfaces is less than the distance between the pressing rollers minus the diameter of said pressing rollers.

3. An improved parking elevator in accordance with claim -1, wherein the improvement comprises a guide flange on each pressing roller on the end thereof facing away from the drive wheel, and a groove formed at the inner end of said pressure surface of each link, said guide flange being adapted to engage in said groove.

4. An improved parking elevator in accordance with claim 1, wherein both ends of said links are shaped as forks with the fork legs overlapping, each one of said shafts pivotally interconnecting said fork legs at each link end and supporting at its inner end one guide roller.

5. An improved parking elevator in accordance with claim 1, wherein the lower ends of the two legs of the vertical guides converge slightly so as to merge at their bottoms into open portions, said portions curving outwardly in the form of arcs, said arc portions having a radius the centre of which coincides with the centre of the associated drive wheel. 

1. An improved parking elevator including in combination a stand, vertical guides mounted on said stand, guide rollers running in said vertical guides, links being pivotally interconnected to form two continuous chains, said guide rollers provided on said links, shafts interconnecting said links, cages for the support of vehicles parked therein, said cages being suspended from said shafts, a hydraulically operated device being provided to drive said two chains synchronously, said device comprising two drive wheels of polygonal configuration driven in common, follower means in the shape of pressing rollers being rotatably mounted at the apices of said polygonal drive wheels, and pressure surfaces being arranged at the link pivot joints at the trailing ends of the links, said pressing rollers being adapted to engage in the pivot joint between successive links of the chain and to press against said pressure surfaces.
 2. An improved parking elevator in accordance with claim 1, wherein the distance between said pressing rollers on the drive wheels is less than the distance between the link pivot points and the distance between the pressure surfaces is less than the distance between the pressing rollers minus the diameter of said pressing rollers.
 3. An improved parking elevator in accordance with claim 1, wherein the improvement comprises a guide flange on each pressing roller on the end thereof facing away from the drive wheel, and a groove formed at the inner end of said pressure surface of each link, said guide flange being adapted to engage in said groove.
 4. An improved parking elevator in accordance with claim 1, wherein both ends of said links are shaped as forks with the fork legs overlapping, each one of said shafts pivotally interconnecting said fork legs at each link end and supporting at its inner end one guide roller.
 5. An improved parking elevator in accordance with claim 1, wherein the lower ends of the two legs of the vertical guides converge slightly so as to merge at their bottoms into open portions, said portions curving outwardly in the form of arcs, said arc portions having a radiuS the centre of which coincides with the centre of the associated drive wheel. 